Recently, the Alhambra Preservation Group conducted its first-ever online survey. We wanted to gauge what our supporters think should be our top priority for 2019 – what you and other Alhambra residents expect from APG – and what Alhambrans enjoy about APG. Here’s what you said:

What Should APG’s Priorities Be For Next Year? By an overwhelming majority – 94 % – you said the adoption of an Alhambra Preservation Ordinance should be APG’s top priority. Creating an inventory of Alhambra’s historic structures was second with educational and social events taking the third and fourth spots.

What Has Been Your Favorite APG-sponsored program? APG-hosted Alhambra home tours, which we pioneered beginning in 2004 came in on top, with 56% of respondents saying they liked them the best. Educational events and Candidates Forums tied for second place. Field Trips, summer ice cream socials and our recent event Coffee with a Councilmember rounded out the bottom.

Would You Consider Volunteering for an APG Event in the Future? Yes! We are proud and pleased that 88 % of all respondents said “yes,” they would consider volunteering their time for APG.

During Our 2018 Fall Membership Drive, Would You Be Willing To Ask One Neighbor/Friend to join APG? Yes! A solid 94% of you said you would be willing to ask one neighbor and/or friend to join our organization.

If You Are a Member, What Is Your Opinion of APG’s Printed Resource Guide? The majority of folks – 56% – stated that they find it useful and reference it as needed and 22% said they love this printed piece and use it all the time. Seventeen percent said they prefer to use the Internet and 5% had no opinion.

The message is clear. The adoption of a preservation ordinance is the top priority and APG’s Board of Directors agrees. This is the only true way we can reach our goal of preserving, protecting and honoring Alhambra’s historic resources, and we will adjust our priorities to reflect this opinion.

We heard from quite a few of you, but we’d love to hear more opinions. The survey will be open until August 31. If you haven’t participated in the survey, we invite you to do so now. What do YOU think should be APG’s priorities? Let us know! The survey can be found here.

A 1912 photo of one of the Arts and Crafts homes that caught APG President Joyce Amaro’s eye in 1984.

by Joyce Amaro, Alhambra Preservation Group President

My sister Jeanette rolled her eyes from the passenger seat of my mom’s 1960 white Oldsmobile as I began slowly backing the car out of the garage. Our father stood in front of us, pumping his forearms up and down like an airport maintenance worker and Jeanette always found Daddy’s “guidance” annoying. It was the fall of 1984, and I was a high school senior with newly earned driving privileges. I knew the road to Alhambra High School well from my parents’ home in Monterey Park. I would drive up Sixth Street from Garvey Avenue, always slowing down just north of the San Bernardino Freeway to glance at a few of my favorite homes in Alhambra, a small collection of Spanish Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts houses.

Unlike that well-traveled route to Alhambra High, the road to preservation here in Alhambra hasn’t been as smooth. Alhambra Preservation Group has worked tirelessly for the past decade to educate Alhambrans on the value of preserving cultural resources. We’ve hosted home tours, sponsored candidates’ forums, lobbied Alhambra officials, and organized educational events – all with the goals of raising awareness about Alhambra’s diverse architecture and adopting legislation that would preserve and protect historically and architecturally significant homes. This past spring APG board members presented information on an APG-created Google map that documents Alhambra’s myriad architectural styles at the California Preservation Foundation’s annual conference. This past summer, APG sponsored a “Coffee with a Council Member” event, providing Alhambrans with the opportunity to meet and ask questions of Alhambra’s newly elected council members, Jeff Maloney and David Mejia.

As Alhambra Preservation Group celebrates its 10th anniversary I am pleased to announce that we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor. This past summer, the City of Alhambra stated that it would pursue a historic preservation ordinance. We are thrilled with this development and happy to see that the City of Alhambra is finally serious about an ordinance that will preserve and protect Alhambra’s architectural gems. Another recent victory was the decision by the developer of the Camellia Court project to retain the historically significant Chapel of Saint Simon and Jude. This decision represents a shift in how historically and architecturally significant structures are viewed in Alhambra. APG is proud of the role our organization played in advocating for the adaptive reuse of this chapel.

So, while we are closer to a preservation ordinance and positive changes in how historically and architecturally significant structures are viewed in Alhambra, APG’s work is far from done. We continue to need your financial support as we work with the City of Alhambra to shepherd a preservation ordinance through the approval process. It is our hope that you will choose to support Alhambra Preservation Group in 2018, so that we can shift gears and begin the very real process of enacting a preservation ordinance in Alhambra. We invite you to join or renew your membership in APG during our annual membership drive and to give as generously as you’re able. As an all-volunteer non-profit organization, we rely on your contributions of time and money. We thank you and appreciate your ongoing support!

More than 30 years later, I am still admiring that quaint cluster of homes on South Sixth Street in Alhambra’s Ramona Park. The difference is that now I call one of those beautiful Craftsman houses my home, and I’m thrilled that Alhambra is closer than ever to legislation that will protect it for generations to come!

It’s time to stand up for historic preservation! Alhambra needs your help on Monday, May 11, 2015. All you have to do is show up at the City Council meeting scheduled that evening to show your support for historic preservation in Alhambra.

Alhambra Preservation Group has been working hard for a very long time to move our city’s elected leadership toward a preservation ordinance that will:

• Protect the character of our neighborhoods;
• Increase and maintain the value of our homes; and
• Conserve our precious historic and architectural resources.

So far, we have been disappointed by Alhambra’s leaders’ lack of initiative in adopting a preservation ordinance. We are ready to show them that a significant number of Alhambrans believe that now is the time to move forward with adopting a preservation ordinance.

Since May is National Preservation Month, we’re using the occasion of the May 11 City Council meeting to show them—in an unmistakable, visual way—that their neighbors and constituents want to see historic preservation included in our city’s planning policy. We plan on taking advantage of the public comment period at the end of the meeting when APG’s President, Christine Olson will address the Council, offering a variety of planning materials and resources, and asking them to conduct a “study session” on how historic preservation might be incorporated into city planning here in Alhambra. Your presence in the audience will demonstrate that you stand in support of historic preservation.

Won’t you join us? Alhambra needs you! Here are the specifics regarding the City Council meeting:

APG’s goal is to pack the Council chamber with supporters and to create a powerful visual display for our elected leaders. This is one of those times when numbers matter! It’s all about showing up. We don’t know how long the meeting will last, but it’s important that we all stay until the end.

This is the most important thing we’ve ever asked of you and we hope that you’ll be willing to answer this call. Can Alhambra count on you?

If you’d like more information, please feel free to contact us at info@alhambrapreservation.org.